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02/10/2015 11:00 PMHannah Walton not only works year-round to improve as a skier, but she additionally ensures that her teammates are hitting their peak times on the slopes for a fast-growing Hand program.
The senior captain started skiing early at age three and increases her abilities each year by hitting the hills at her family house in Vermont. Hannah helped Hand reach states for the first time last year and, according to Head Coach Todd Williams, his two-season captain is once again acting like a coach this winter.
"Hannah has been a shining light throughout her three years as a member of Hand ski team," says Williams. "She is loved by her teammates and always has time to assist her fellow racers with advice that is beneficial to not only the individual racer, but to the girls' ski racing team."
Hannah joined the program for her sophomore season and says that she's surrounded by a tremendous team atmosphere which consistently motivates her to get to the next level.
"I love to enjoy myself on this team. We are in a good environment here and everyone is doing well this year," says Hannah. "Coach Williams is fun and encouraging, plus we aren't about competition versus one another. I just keep pushing myself and trying my hardest."
In this campaign alone, Hannah has seen the fruits of her efforts by going from a 12th-place finish in Hand's first race on Jan. 8 to finding fourth in the Tigers' follow-up event just a week later.
"I've been trying to go up to Vermont as much as I can to practice because I want to focus on doing well," says Hannah, who also previously did team racing in Vermont. "In terms of my skills though, I've just been working on my speed and technique."
When it comes to being a captain for such a close-knit group, Hannah declares that the real pleasure comes from the interaction of helping her teammates become better at their craft and then seeing their results.
"I love being a captain for this team because everyone loves being here and I also love to help them with both their skill and technique," Hannah says. "I will go watch their runs in practice and just see what I can do to help them improve their speed. I've seen a lot of improvements in their times, which is just so great."
As the Tigers have grown in membership and dropped their times, Hannah feels the best may still be yet to come for Hand on the powder.
"The team originally started small and was a co-ed team, but now it's grown into separate boys' and girls' teams. Last year was the first time we made states and we have great racers that just improve more and more," says Hannah, who thanks Coach Williams and her family. "I'd love to see us go to states again. We have a lot of strong racers that have done well and reached the top 10 in races. I'm happy with this season so far and we will do well as a team this year."